Storm damage in Atlantic City at the height of Hurricane Irene in 2011Noah K. Murray/The Star Ledger

CAMDEN – After Hurricane Irene hit the state, flooding out thousands of residents, Dwana Wright applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for rental assistance and received more than $15,000.

But, federal prosecutors say, Wright faxed fake lease agreements to FEMA in support of her application, and never paid any landlord rent.

Today, Wright and two others admitted to disaster benefits fraud in connection with Hurricane Irene in 2011 and the nor’easter in 2010. The two storms had led to presidential disaster declarations for the state.

Wright, 40, and Ryan Stevens, 38, both of Camden, and Debbie Hicks, 51, of Atlantic City, pleaded to the charges during separate appearances before Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas in Camden in a case handled by Assistant U.S. attorney Jason Richardson.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, all three submitted fraudulent applications to FEMA for repairs and rental assistance they were not entitled to receive.

Hicks, for example, filed with FEMA seeking aid after the nor'easter, which damaged her apartment in Atlantic City. A FEMA inspector confirmed the damage to her rental unit, and declared her apartment uninhabitable, making her eligible for rental assistance of $923 per month. But, prosecutors said, she failed to disclose that her rent was being paid by the Atlantic County Department of Family and Community Development.

Hicks also admitted she lied about her prior criminal record and the fact she had used other names and Social Security numbers. She faces up to 35 years in prison and a fine of $500,000.

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Stevens also used fake rental papers to document his need for federal aid after Irene, officials said. He admitted receiving $15,487 from FEMA’s emergency rental assistance fund to which he was not entitled.

Both Wright and Stevens face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.